a true shore

page 231, Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed Editions

seek out all those
building up
a true shore
by harvesting and weaving

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After I create a blackout poem, harvesting a message from an existing page of text, I linger in its message until it develops into an intention, a call to action for me. The prompts below are my invitation to myself to bring the lesson from the blackout poem into the way I intend to live today. I share them here in case the practice or the specific prompts are helpful and inspiring to you. Instructions for how to use this practice and generate your own prompts are at the bottom of each of my posts.

Morning Journal Prompt: Look for ways to operate in circles of collaboration that harvest and weave the wisdom of the collective. Respond to opportunities to harvest compassionate and creative solutions that build community and offer a true shore, a place of comfort and rest.

Evening Journal Prompt: Reflect on the day’s events and encounters. Where were there opportunities to harvest and weave wisdom from the communities or teams you engage with? Make note of the ways folks provide you a place of comfort and rest, a true shore. How might you more intentionally build this for others?

My reflection on this blackout poem: I’ve been re-reading The Circle Way by Ann Linnea and Christina Baldwin. I’ve volunteered with Healing Circles Global on their training team and led circles of all sorts in all kinds of spaces. I’ve taught in circles, facilitated spiritual practices in circles, I’ve led a team of young community advocates and a startup non-profit team in circles. It has been my experience that in every setting, with folks from 5 to 95, magic happens when you create a container and set the intention that there is a leader in every chair. Regardless of the group or the reason we’ve called a circle, we often center ourselves around a poem, an idea, or a question. We create a structured container for safety and respect. Then we invite folks to share to the center of the circle. We call this harvesting. Insights, reflections, tough questions, inspired answers, they burst forth to the center of the circle.

As I train more teams in holding crucial conversations, using compassionate communication, and employing collaborative leadership, I am seeing how this format exponentially empowers each team member and rapidly solves issues that were once perpetually hidden or stuck in one person’s workflow.

Harvested wisdom and shared experiences, longings, and ideas lead us all to build a true shore. I thrive when I can bring folks together in a circle, when there is a leader in every chair.

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For practice decks, cards, and groups, check out We Practice Life. We work together to put these resources into practice through the way we live, learn, and lead.

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Scroll down for instructions on making your own blackout poems and prompts.

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Monthly Online Blackout Poetry Group

We gather online at from 12 - 1:30p CT on the first Friday of each month to practice blackout poetry and share our insights, questions, and reflections (if we choose).

These practice groups are free. Sign up to receive the monthly newsletter with resources and the invitation to join each session.

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I currently get to support the public programming at The Jung Center in Houston as the Director of Curriculum. We host around 200 public programs each year. Check out our current event list. We curate a list of offerings that covers all levels of experience with a variety of programs.

Our mission is to support the development of greater self-awareness, creative expression, and psychological insight—individually, in relationships, and within the community. The Jung Center provides pathways to find deeper meaning in everyday life.

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Want to watch a short video on how to make blackout poetry using a phone app?

How to Practice Blackout Poetry as a Journal Prompt

• Select a page of descriptive fiction, non-fiction, or sacred text.
  Photograph, copy, or use an original page from a book.
  Spend a few moments centering and slowing down. Focus on breathing.

• Without judgement or analysis, scan the text. Which words or phrases draw more attention? Circle or underline them. Resist the urge to connect with the author’s meaning or purpose. Notice which words or phrases have a more energetic or emotional response.

• Read the words and phrases you selected. Can you relate to a general mood or message? Remove some words and add others to strengthen the message and give it flow and clarity. Keep the original intention of the message. In other words, don’t lose the point because you are trying to make it more academic or writerly.

• When you have the selection of words that support the message and enhance its meaning, you can;

  • decorate the page using art supplies or create a digital collage.

  • re-read the words and explore the meaning of the message. Set a timer for 2-3 minutes and free write in your journal about what this message means to you or why you think you were drawn to them right now.

Ordinary Life Presentation on August 11, 2024 on Blackout Poetry as a Spiritual Practice: Purpose, Process, Product. A 50 minute talk with the backstory, instructions, and tons of examples of blackout poems from my now completed project of blacking out every page of Braiding Sweetgrass.

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By SpiritualSpark · Launched in June of 2024

Using erasure poetry and Lectio Divina, I harvest words and phrases that connect me to my values and my voice.